"Still won't talk?"
Several days passed, losing all meaning inside this undersea cage. Rosse looked down at the figure on the ground that seemed like a doll already played with until broken, the corner of his mouth carrying a smile full of interest.
He had never been a good person.
Since she herself had asked for torment, if he did not let her have her fill, would that not make him seem like a poor host?
"Cough! Cough! Demon!"
Shutara Senjumaru spat out a mouthful of saliva, her voice hoarse. She stared at Rosse with hatred burning deep into her bones, the eyes that had once been so lively now holding nothing but searing, corrosive fury.
"You're at least the ruler of a world. Why resort to such low, despicable methods?", Below her head, her body had completely lost all sensation, as if it no longer belonged to her.
That small, delicate body was now covered in bruises and wounds.
Although her body had been created by the Oken, as her spiritual pressure continued to be consumed, the strength of her spiritual body also weakened accordingly.
Even if she was still stronger than an ordinary Shinigami, she could not withstand Rosse's torment.
The gap in power between her and Rosse at this moment was simply too great.
As long as Rosse wished it, she was like a little lamb.
"Oh? So you think this still isn't enough?", Rosse raised an eyebrow and took a step forward.
When that mountain-like figure cast its shadow over her again, Shutara Senjumaru's pupils shrank uncontrollably, a trace of the most primal panic flashing through her eyes like lightning.
The massive difference in physique turned every act of bullying into a crushing with no suspense.
It was not just a disparity in strength, but a feeling of being completely dominated, even a fear born from life's instinct.
Even if her mind could still resist, her body was already reacting in fear by instinct.
"If you have the ability, then kill me."
She forcibly pressed that fear back into the depths of her soul, putting on that cold mask once more.
"No matter how you use these methods to humiliate me, I will not reveal a single thing about the Soul King Palace."
She took a deep breath, her eyes returning to calm and stillness.
She had already been tortured to this extent. Everything she considered precious had been trampled into utter worthlessness. There was even less reason for her to tell Rosse anything.
"Really stubborn. Fine then, I'll keep playing with you," Rosse snorted, lifted Shutara Senjumaru up from the ground, and began a new round of torment.
Talk?
What talk?
He never even asked about the Soul King Palace in the first place. From the beginning, he did not need any answers from Shutara Senjumaru.
Perhaps Shutara Senjumaru held some valuable secrets, but the truly ancient existence of the Soul King Palace was only that monk.
Even if Shutara Senjumaru knew something, it would be information of insufficient value.
As for information the other side knew, he had countless ways to obtain it.
To him, Shutara Senjumaru's struggle to keep her secrets was nothing more than some added stimulation to increase the fun.
In reality, Shutara Senjumaru had already spoken frankly to him long ago, and all three of her mouths had spoken nothing but the truth.
———
And while Rosse was educating Shutara Senjumaru, an undercurrent was rising throughout Soul Society.
[First Division]
"Kirinji, are you certain? Shutara has gone missing? Even Squad Zero can't find any trace of her?", Captain-Commander Yamamoto looked at Kirinji Tenjiro before him, his usually half-lidded eyes suddenly opening, surprise flashing within them.
As one of the oldest beings in Soul Society, Captain-Commander Yamamoto understood the Soul King Palace far better than other Shinigami, and he also clearly understood the nature of the Soul King.
Now, even Squad Zero and the Soul King Palace could not locate the missing Shutara Senjumaru, her life or death unknown. How could this not shock him?
"The contract with the Soul King has been severed from Shutara. If death occurred under these circumstances, even the Soul King would be unable to revive her. That is to say, Shutara may have been completely killed," Kirinji Tenjiro said seriously.
Over the past million years, countless people had broken through Soul Society and ascended to the Soul King Palace.
But a member of Squad Zero being completely killed was the first time in a million years.
The three realms were about to change.
"Since the connection was completely severed, then she must have been beheaded by an enemy," Captain-Commander Yamamoto narrowed his eyes slightly and gave the most direct judgment.
He was someone who had lived for thousands of years and could make the most likely judgment instantly.
Shutara Senjumaru's actual existence was even older than his. She had once been the Great Weave Guard of Soul Society, the woman who created the Shihakusho.
Such an ancient existence could not possibly defect to the enemy. If she truly encountered danger, she would certainly choose death over dishonor. That left only the possibility of being slain.
"That matches our guess, but even if she was killed, it's far too unreasonable. Not a single message could be sent back, and the connection to the Soul King Palace was cut off directly. What kind of thing are we even facing?", Kirinji Tenjiro could not help voicing his thoughts.
He was somewhat younger than Captain-Commander Yamamoto, and because he had joined Squad Zero very early, he had experienced far fewer crises. It was inevitable that his mentality would be a bit less steady.
It seemed like a thousand years had passed since the last time they encountered such a troublesome situation.
"Heh! Shutara went missing in Hueco Mundo, so the one who killed her was naturally a Hollow. Most likely, it was that Hollow King whose name we do not yet know," Captain-Commander Yamamoto spoke calmly.
His shock had only lasted for the instant when he first learned of Shutara's death. After that, he maintained absolute composure.
He had experienced too many events and crises. Although nothing before had been as severe as this, after enough experience, one inevitably became numb.
Even when facing something even greater, the first thought was always how to deal with it, not to be swayed by emotion.
Since they knew Shutara's objective, they could naturally infer where she met her end, and even make a guess at the enemy.
"Hey, hey. Is there really such a powerful Hollow in Hueco Mundo? One that can even sever the Soul King's connection?", Kirinji Tenjiro said, somewhat disbelieving.
"Heh! All kinds of special abilities emerge endlessly across the three realms. You can bring the dead back to life and restore flesh to bones. Naturally, others can completely erase a living person," Captain-Commander Yamamoto spoke indifferently, not finding it surprising at all.
Over thousands of years, what strange abilities had he not seen?
He had even seen two people possess the same Zanpakuto, let alone some special abilities.
In the past, there had been quite a few Hollows who defeated him and ascended to the Soul King Palace.
He had never underestimated Hueco Mundo. That place also had soil capable of giving birth to strong beings.
"Then what do we do now?", Kirinji Tenjiro could not help asking.
The monk's meaning was for him to come consult Captain-Commander Yamamoto about countermeasures, but he truly did not know what they should do.
The monk had no intention of personally heading to Hueco Mundo. With his and the other Squad Zero members' strength, going to Hueco Mundo would be nothing more than delivering themselves on a platter.
If the enemy could prevent Shutara from sending out any information, then they could likewise kill them.
Aside from the monk, none of the others had absolute confidence of defeating Shutara. At best, they were evenly matched.
At a time like this, he really did not know what to do.
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